The invention relates to compact cooling systems, and more particularly to a compact cooling system for vehicles having two heat exchangers with collecting tanks for cooling of different fluids.
A compact cooling system typically includes a number of heat exchangers (e.g. radiators), for cooling engine coolant for a vehicle engine. Rather than use one large radiator, a plurality of smaller radiators is used to reduce the space required to package the cooling system. These radiators, often together with at least one other heat exchanger, are located radially outwardly of a radial fan in a box-like configuration.
The use of multiple radiators will typically require that the radiators be connected in parallel rather than in series, since a series arrangement of the radiators would require greater pressure than is desired to ensure that the coolant circulate through all of the radiators (or put another way, will result in an undesirably high pressure drop from the system inlet to the system outlet).
Of course, a parallel arrangement of the heat exchangers introduces the additional problem of properly splitting the engine coolant flow among the plurality of smaller radiators, so that each may operate at maximum efficiency (i.e., without one radiator receiving more coolant than it should and another receiving less than it should). Where the radiators are approximately equal in size and coolant capacity, it is desirable to have approximately equal coolant flow through and heat transfer for each radiator.
The present invention is directed toward overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.
A compact cooling system is provided including a radial fan directing air flow radially outwardly away from the fan axis and a plurality of heat exchangers disposed around the radial fan. Each heat exchanger has a plurality of tubes extending between an inlet header and an outlet header, with the headers extending generally in the same direction as the fan axis. A system inlet is connected to the inlet headers and a system outlet is connected to the outlet headers, such that the length of the flow path from the system inlet to the system outlet is generally the same for each heat exchanger.
In one form of the invention, adjacent headers define a corresponding corner of the compact cooling system, and the system inlet is adjacent one corner of one of the system front and system back, and the system inlet is adjacent another corner of the other of the system front and system back, which corners are opposite each other.
In another form of the invention, feed lines connecting the system inlet and system outlet to the inlet headers and outlet headers have substantially the same cross section with substantially rectangular cross sections defining substantially flat outer faces.
In still another form of the invention, there are two heat exchangers, with the system inlet including a short connection to the inlet header of one of the two heat exchangers and a long connection to the inlet header of the other of the two heat exchangers, and with the system outlet including a long connection to the outlet header of the one of the two heat exchangers and a short connection to the outlet header of the other of the two heat exchangers. In this form, the two heat exchangers may be disposed with the outlet header of one of the two heat exchangers adjacent the inlet header of the other of the two heat exchangers to define a corner of the compact cooling system, where one of the system inlet and the system outlet is adjacent the corner and the other of the system inlet and the system outlet is adjacent one of the inlet header of the one of the two heat exchangers and the outlet header of the other of the two heat exchangers. In this form, the two heat exchangers may alternatively be disposed on opposite sides of the compact cooling system, with the system inlet disposed adjacent the inlet header of one of the two heat exchangers and the system outlet disposed adjacent the outlet header of the other of the two heat exchangers.
In yet another form, a substantially rectangular box frame is provided with the system inlet is disposed adjacent one corner of the box frame at one of the front and back and the system outlet disposed adjacent another corner of the box frame at the other of the front and back.
In still another form, three heat exchangers define three of four sides of a box frame, with the system inlet and system outlet being adjacent corners diagonally opposite one another.
In yet other forms, the heat exchangers are substantially identical size, and the compact cooling system inlet receives coolant from a vehicle and discharges coolant to a vehicle from the system outlet.